While many non-Muslims find images of Muslims in prayer (called Salat in Arabic) to be peaceful or even awe-inspiring, some find the Muslim method of prayer to be odd. but The Muslim practice of standing, bowing, kneeling, and prostrating in worship is not foreign to past traditions.

When Muslims pray, they do so in a manner taught by Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him-, the Last Prophet of Islam sent by Allah[God]. His words and his actions have been preserved in numerous books, called Ahadith. It is from the Ahadith that Muslims derive their model for how to live, love, work, raise children, eat, give charity, greet each other, pray, etc. The point, here, is that after having received the command from God to pray, Muslims look to the example of Prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- to learn how to pray. Are Muslims the only ones praying in this manner? let's see...

While Muslims don't consider the totality of the Bible to be God's word, (so they don't base their belief on it), I'd like to quote some biblical verses just to explain this point to my dear non-Muslim readers, using their book of authority (for those who consider it so) and it's also a good opportunity for my Muslim readers to learn a couple of verses from the Christian Bible.

Prophet Abraham -peace be upon him- prostrated in his prayer:Genesis 17:1-4(1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. (2) I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” (3) Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, (4) “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations"

Psalm 95:6"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;"

Note that both bowing and kneeling are mentioned in Psalm 95:6, the very order in which Muslims perform them.

the Angels prostrate in their prayers:Revelations 7:11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

Joshua 7:6Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads

Numbers 20:6Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.

Matthew 26:36-39 (36) Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” (37) He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. (38) Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (39) Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

We have read that Moses, Joshua, Aaron, Abraham and Jesus -peace be upon them all- worshipped God through bowing and prostration. The angels did the same. Muslims, in their way of prayer, are following the exact example set by these prophets of God in their prayers to God.

Many first reactions to this information is that it is interesting, but not significant or important. for example, someone may say: "Wow, I never realized that Jesus prayed with his face on the ground, as Muslims do. That's interesting, but who cares? The important part of prayer comes from the heart, not the act of bowing and prostrating."In one sense this is true. AN important part of prayer is what comes from the heart......but that's not all. Islam (which literally means submission to God) is a way of life in all respects. As such, it does not divorce the physical act of submission from the submission of the heart. When Muslims pray, they do so in a manner taught by the prophets -peace be upon all of them-. Muslims consider the prayer an act of mind, body, and soul. so Submission takes place in all of these realms.

When you prostern before Allah, satan cry. You knew this? Satan is really afraid of God, he cannot do anything against him... People who follow Satan are going in the worst way ever... They'll find themselves in the eternal and dark fire of hell... with whom they have followed.

Greetings and blessings of Allah.I'm from Iran, Mohammad Khalid.Your site is very interesting and excellent.I wanted to teach the art of worship for Sunnis.Dear Professor, your painting style.Is it possible for me to paint.I seek refuge in God is always good luckkhm1364@gmail.com

Disliking my peaceful advice sent by note is one thing, and attacking Islam in my pages with your falsehood is another. and I do not accept a liar like you -who intends to make a false shahada -for his corrupted lustful desires- deceive people in my page.no sorry, but you will be blocked.

No, I believe that is more than just interesting as well. Obviously it is important, just as you said. They obviously thought it was important. Yes, the heart is the most important part. Without honesty God will know who truly honors him and loves him and is submitted to him. However, I believe that prostrating in prayer can be an outward evidence of one's heart. It shows that we understand who God is - and we understand who we are before God. It shows that we are, or are trying to be, submitted to him.

Anyway, that's awesome. Since you're using other Scriptures, do Muslims believe these originally came from Allah as well? I read a long time ago when I was studying different faiths that Muhammad originally respected the Jewish and Christians and called them each, "The people of a Book," signifying that he believed his book was the third Allah had chosen to deliver to the world, whereas the Jewish and Christian Scriptures had been the first two delivered by Allah. I read that Muhammad desired mutual peace between these groups and would not fight against them. The book on world religions that I read claimed that the Muslim people no longer believe this. But the author was probably not Muslim nor connected with Islamic people. Have you heard anything about this?

wow, that is pretty interesting...gives you a lot to think about...though i think i probably wouldn't be able to pray that way. not that i find it bad or anything, its just that a few years ago, i hyper extended my left knee and it's really painful for me to kneel.

I was told that the Koran denies that Jesus was even crucified, is this true? There is solid, historical evidence for the crucifixion so I find that very strange indeed.there is NO historical evidence whatsoever of the crucifixion. all we have is some scholars and archeologists repeating the same thing over and over in order to make people believe it's a proven fact. if you have a testable evidence that you, yourself, tested and proved to be true and that I, myself, can test to prove its truth then please enlighten me. remember, I need 'testable proof'. if your evidence is just the words of some scholars and historians, I am sorry, I do not blindly believe their words. I only believe what I can test myself.

Indeed the Qur'an denies the crucifixion of Jesus -peace be upon him-. we are taught that the God saved Jesus -peace be upon him- when he asked for help. the God didn't allow his enemies to murder Jesus like they do to criminals. that's what we are told in the Qur'an and in that we believe.

but no- after hearing a sermon comparing the Koran and the Bible side-by-side it is not possible to say that we worship the same Godwow, so based solely on a sermon by your pastor, you conclude about a whole religion. doesn't it cross your mind that your pastor may not be all-knowing? what if he is wrong? can't you, for example, make your own researches in order to prove things, instead of believing what you are told? you could, for example, ask a Muslim, a few questions about what your pastor said, and based on their answers, you can check whether what you know is really the truth.

I can tell you that we worship the same God. and thanks to God, I have enough knowledge to prove it to you. that is only if you are interested.

here's a site that compares the Bible and Koran side by side [link]you are a nice person, my friend. and with big regret I tell you this:I am afraid this link makes me hide your comment for the following reason: the website you provided, although has some truth, is spreading lies and misinformation about Islam. they are trying to look neutral, but what they are doing is mixing truth with falsehood and following the sick old approach (beautify Christianity and vilify Islam in order to conclude that Islam is false and Christianity is the truth). because of this reason, I can not allow such a dishonest website to be displayed in my page and mislead people. I am very sorry for that.if you want, I can show you (in a private message) the mistakes in that comparison.

Strobel began as an atheist and found Christ through his intensive interviewsWell, Bart Ehrman began as a Christian and ended as an Atheist.

Things like the complete denial of the crucifixion which HAS indeed been proven historicallyalright, I challenge you to bring me undeniable proof of your claim. don't ask me to buy a book or something. where I am shipping will cost me several times the cost of the book itself. and I find scholarly biblical books cost a lot. so buying is out of the question. if you have tangible proof bring it up. and let's discuss it here. if you have no proof, then please refrain from making claims.

Even the Jews ... will give Jesus the credit of being a prophetI am afraid the Jews of the time of Jesus -peace be upon him- called him a b*stard and his mother a wh*re. if they considered him a prophet, they would have followed him. the only ones who considered Jesus a prophet are his disciples and true followers and then the Muslims after the coming of the final prophet, Mohammed -peace be upon him-.

... and still would testify to the truth of the manner of his death.so for you, anyone testifying that your god was killed on the cross must be true. anyone saying the opposite is false. it's like defining the truth is based on what fits your religion. it's like saying "I am right, and anyone who agrees with me is right, anyone who doesn't is false."

Jesus however was far more than a prophet and is indeed the MessiahI also believe Jesus -peace be upon him- was the Messiah. Messiah doesn't mean god. it simply means anointed.

...and I pray that you will carefully consider the above links and look for yourselfI am considering them:- biblicaltheology: although it contains some interesting information, it DOES not provide any proof that Jesus -peace be upon him- was indeed crucified. I, as a Muslim, believe that Jesus was about to be crucified. the Romans prepared to kill him. having information that the Romans did crucify people or that they were going to crucify him is not a problem. the real question is "did they really do it?" this is what your article fails to answer. my religious book tells me that when they were about to do it, the God saved him and made it appear to them that they crucified him. it's normal that the Romans, being the dominating force in the land at that time, would write that they crucified him. writing that he was saved would make him a hero. besides, the God made it appear that they crucified him, so his enemies really thought that they did crucify him. their testimony will not work as a solid evidence for me.

- allaboutjesuschrist: do you really consider this article an evidence? please re-read it again. try to read it from a non-Christian perspective, my friend. it doesn't have ANY evidence whatsoever. it simply states some facts about how Romans used to crucify people, but these do not prove that Jesus was crucified.

- Youtube link: sorry, this website is blocked where I live. I can't open it.

- Wikipedia link: although I don't use wikipedia as a reliable reference, your article is about the historicity of Jesus. I have no problem believing that the historical Jesus indeed lived and preached nearly 2000 years ago. the question is not whether he lived or not, it's whether he was crucified or not.

- as for the last link: I am afraid the last link you included is from a filthy website that I do not wish to see advertised in my page. that website in your last link is filled with lies and misinformation about Islam. the owner of the website is a big islamophobe who, in my opinion, brings shame to the Christian nation by the amount of lies and filth he spreads in his website. reading his articles will certainly make you have wrong information about Islam. because of this link, I am afraid this comment of yours will be hidden. please do not include links to websites spreading lies about Islam.

So again, I repeat: if you believe Jesus was crucified and you already checked and verified all evidences by yourself and you think you know enough to prove it to me, then I am ready to listen to what you have to say.but remember, I ask you to prove that Jesus -peace be upon him- himself was crucified. not that Romans used to crucify people in that time. even if you find a cross with Jesus' name on it, it doesn't prove that he was indeed crucified on that cross. it simply proves that they were going to crucify him on that cross. the act of crucifixion is not proven yet.for example, a man called John prepared a coffin with the name of my neighbor Erik. he planned to kill his neighbor and bury him in that coffin. but when he went to his house, Erik already ran away. so John couldn't find him. centuries later, people found Erik's coffin with his name on it. they thought that Erik was buried in that coffin, while in fact it was not true. does finding the coffin prove that Erik was killed by John? I am afraid it does not.

my religion tells me to test everything and believe in what's true. I believe your religion tells you the same as well. my holy book tells me that when Christians and Jews come to debate, I should ask them for proof. and that's what I am doing. if you have proof, I will be ready to check it, and if it is really true, I'll have no problem in following your religion... but only when you prove to me what you claim.

I must say something about your biblical quoting: When they speak of bowing to the LORD, they are speaking of the God of Israel. His name is YHVH. I'm not sure why a Muslim would be thinking of the God of Israel on the same level as Allah...

Now, I must say that this statement is something that I would deny to the death. Allah is not the same as Yahovah, and that is my reality. You reserve the right to disagree, but I refuse to believe that our Gods are the same. I could go on to explain what I as a Messianic believe Allah to be, but you'd just get pissed off and it would accomplish nothing. Shalom Alacham.

but I refuse to believe that our Gods are the same. I didn't ask you to believe.

I could go on to explain what I as a Messianic believe Allah to be, but you'd just get pissed off Well, what we believe the God to be doesn't matter. what matters is what He IS and what he said he is. The God is what he is, not what people want to believe. you don't really need to explain what you believe Allah is. I think it's much better, and more fruitful, if you try, instead, to explain what you believe Yahovah is... in your page, of course.

1) jews are actually just descendants of Jacob who was the descendant of Abraham who was an Arab. SO basically they are arabs. 2) Of course you will call Allah by a different name (we are using different languages here, duh!! God is Allah but it doesnt sound the same, does it?) 3) "Satan" = Shaitan = devil (satan is the arabic word for devil and Lucifer is the Greek word for enlightened one. His original name was Iblis, but when they changed the Bible they also changed his name so that the people would fear knowledge and would obey the church).

Your really rude btw. At least respect other people's religions.

(please dont bother replying, I wont read it till like.... next year, I barely come on this site)

I didn't want to put it on the table because my evidence is a little sketchy. It goes on the idea that Muslims want to kill Jews, the logic being "What other being would order the extermination of God's chosen people?" This idea did not originate in my mind, but it does fit well with what I believe.

I didn't want to put it on the table because my evidence is a little sketchy.Well, if you didn't want to put it on the table, you shouldn't have PUT it on the table. I mean, if your evidence is sketchy, you better postpone expressing your opinions until you have enough knowledge to judge and prove your point. otherwise, you may be making grave mistake and false and unjustified claims.

now, let me analyze your claim. you said:- Muslims want to kill Jews- What other being would order the extermination of God's chosen people? meaning that only Lucifer would want to kill God's chosen people.

so your conclusion is "Muslims are ordered by Lucifer"

I am afraid your premises are not strong enough to reach that conclusion.I explain:first you need to prove your first premise. you claimed "Muslims want to kill Jews." you didn't say "some Muslims." you generalized and said "Muslims" which implies that "All Muslims" want to kill the Jews. which I consider false. you already asked me twice in my profile page about the Jews. you were probably expecting a hostile attitude towards your people from my side, which you didn't get. and yet you used that argument with me. look at my gallery. you'll find some tolerance drawings depicting Jews: [link] , [link] , [link] , [link]does a person who want to kill the Jews do this? just ask yourself. be honest and open minded and then answer.

But it's fine. you have right to make claims. but if you want to use 'that' argument, you gotta provide clear and explicit evidence from Islamic scripture, the Qur'an, where Muslims are ordered to kill the Jews. failing to provide such evidence, means your whole conclusions are false.in order to find such thing in the Qur'an, the best way is to take a Qur'an and start reading from page one.

second, you claimed that only Lucifer would order to kill God's chosen people. I do agree with this. but we need to define who are 'God's chosen people'. you are probably thinking that they are the Jews. but I have another opinion. in my mind, God's chosen people are the people who follow God's commandments. so any people could be God's chosen people.

I let you know something, in Islam, we have something called 'Isti'aathah'. which is the expression "I seek refuge with the God from the cursed Satan". we say it frequently. and especially before reading the Qur'an. now it's obvious that if Satan, or Lucifer, is the god of Islam, he wouldn't order Muslims to seek refuge with the God from Lucifer himself.

I highly recommend that you spend some time to learn a little about Islam. ask some Muslims about their religion in order to comprehend it better. make the difference between politics and religion. I do understand that being a Jew, you may face some Muslims who hate Jews (mainly because of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict). but there are many who are peaceful and who wouldn't mind answering your questions and inquiries about Islam (I am one of them)

As-Salamu Alaykum. Your drawings are very well done. I was wondering if it were possible for you to draw me some halal Islamic drawings, I am creating an Islamic clothing company and was wondering if you would be willing to draw some pictures for me.

This method of worship isn't that odd since Catholics stand, sit and kneel while saying a certain prayer during service. I've noticed that alot of religions around the whole have some type of worship system inwhich they lower themselves in a way that normally isn't done outside the religious part of society.